and are upholden by the word of his power he gives unto every Man that comes into the World a reasonable soul he quickens sanctifies the elect Feeds them with his own flesh and bloud 1 Cor. 1.2 2 Co. 5.17 preserveth stablisheth enableth to every good word and work holds them in his hand supports them by his grace as the High Priest the names of Israel on his shoulders without him we have nothing can do nothing would return to nothing Therefore nothing is more meet than that Christians should wholly addict themselves to his glory Secondly Reas 2 consider the several relations of Christ unto Christians Is he not their Husband Must not all Wives give honour to their Husbands Is he not their King yea the King of glory are not subjects bound to honour their King Is he not their Lord and Master ought nor servants to count their masters worthy all honour Lastly he is their dear Redeemer who willingly disrobed and emptied himself of his regal glory and put on the homely mantle of humane flesh that he might ransom them with the price of his own bloud Therefore they owe themselves wholly to him and stand obliged to glorifie him in soul and body whose they are both in soul and body For to this end saith the Apostle Christ died for them 1 Co. 6.20 that they should not henceforth live to themselves but to him that died for them Hence the living Creatures are brought in saying with a loud voice worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive honour glory and blessing Thirdly Reas 3 It s no small honour which through Christ is already put upon them and from Christ they expect far greater in the next life They are now partakers of a glorious adoption a glorious shining righteousness glorious graces glorious joys they are called to glory and wait for a richly glorious inheritance an eternal weight of glory to be conferred upon them by Christ Now shall not those that have and look to receive so great glory from Christ endeavour so to live as Christ may have glory from them But alas Vse 1 how few will be able to stand if they be judged by this doctrine How many who call themselves Christians will be found lighter than vanity liars against the truth First many propound to themselves no other end of living here but hoording up riches building their nests on high serving their bellies wallowing in pleasures enjoying honours The glory of Christ their consciences being witnesses is no more thought on or remembred than if Christ had never bin of all other things this hath never troubled their heads Wel if Christ had ever visited these men with the light of life and by his spirit sent joyful tidings of salvation to their spirits it would be otherwise with them Never did man truly know Christ and what Christ hath done for his soul but was much taken up and transported in musing devising desiring to glorifie him Be not deceived if the Lords honour be a stranger in your minds memories intentions endeavours you are in darkness till this present and cannot be assured to your comfort that you have part in the rademption which is in Christ Jesus Secondly do not many live as if they had been made or born to the dishonour of Christ As 1. our idolaters who more stupid than the old Egyptians give the glory of Christ to creatures to their own works to the works of the Painter Carver Baker I fear these grand thieves are long since past shame and grace too Therefore the Lord Jesus requires at their hands the restitution of that honour which most sacrilegiously contrary to his crown and dignity they have robb'd him of 2 Our prophane swearers who tear the glorious name of Christ or ross his Titles unreverently in their Mouths these honour him as the Jews did when they spitted on him 3. All contemners of Christs ordinances and servants who shall one day find that whatsoever is done to things or persons bearing his Name Jesus Christ will take it and revenge it as done to himself 4. All wicked livers whose ungodly works cause that worthy Name by which we are called Jam. 2.7 to be blasphemed in the world We shall sometimes hear them detest and curse both Turk and Pope for persecuting it with the sword when themselves like arrant hypocrites in whom the love of Christ dwelleth not tread it under foot by their cursed and most abominable licentioasness Secondly Vse 2 Let all the Lords people study in all things and by all means to glorifie Christ Jesus Let his honour be dearer to us than all things For this cause were we redeemed †Is 43.21 called quickened that we should shew forth his praise lâ—â—e to his glory Do not masters â—â—ok their servants should be a credit to them The Angels of Heaven have no more noble imployment than to serve and honour the Son of God The Father hath committed to the Son the government of all things That all men might honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5.23 If any desire direction for the practice of this most necessary lesson know that we must glorifie the Name of Christ both inwardly and outwarly Inwardly in spirit and affection 1. By stirring up and cherishing in our minds honourable thoughts of Christ an high esteem of him and his excellency of that incomparable goodness and power which he sheweth in leading us to salvation 2. By believing against hope and reaâ—on trusting on his grace and casting our selves wholly upon him in want of feeling and when all things seem to be against us 3. By intending his honour in every thing making it the mark at which we shoot and if we cannot be so happy as at all times to find that this is the end which before every action first comes to our minds and sensibly moves our wills yet must we strive to find in our selves after the action an high prizing and earnest thirsting after his glory far above all our own good temporal and eternal 4 By grieving heartily to see or hear him dishonoured by false worshippers false teachers carnal Christians 5. By often calling upon our hearts to admire and rejoyce in him more than all other things Outwardly both in word and work In word 1. By ascribing the whole glory of our salvation to him only 2. Speaking of him and using all his Names and Titles with such reverence as beseems so great a Lord. 3. Continual praising him for his mercy and truth towards us for the things he hath wrought daily worketh and will hereafter work for us speaking much good of him before others telling them what a wise powerful bountiful Lord we serve 4. Confessing him boldly before the sons of Men vindicating and maintaining by our Apologies his cause and truth when they are opposed and spoken against In work and conversation 1. By submitting our selves to the direction of his word in all things
quest it shall not be amiss for further explication of the point to answer one question how do Christians honour or dishonour their calling Sundry waies answ but these are the principal 1. They honour it by growing up to an holy dexterity and skilfulness in the trade of Christianity when they so receiue the word as they encrease in knowledge and holiness labour still more and more to abound and excell in spiritual understanding maturity of judgement power and ability to subdue evil and do good Contrariwise they disgrace Christianity by non-proficiency when after much teaching they continue silly punies babish ignorant sticking and stumbling in the very grounds and easiest points of religion ever learning and never attaining to any solid distinct orderly knowledge of Diuinity 2. They honour it by stedfast persisting in the holy doctrine they have received against all contrary blasts of vain mouths when they are so rooted and grounded in the truth that they are able to stand firme and unmoveable against the enticing words of corrupt Teachers yea to trie their spirits discover and avoid them On the contrary they dishonour it by being reeds and weathercocks in religion when they hearken unto and suffer themselves to be seduced by the subtilties of impostors and glorious shews of counterfeit Angels of light vomit up again the wholesom doctrine they have taken down and drink in the lying words of deceitful workmen 3. They honour it by an unspotted conversation when like Zachary and Elizabeth They walk in all the commandments of the Lord blameless and are as the Philippians are exhorted to be unblameable sincere harmless without rebuke shining as lights in the world that is so frame their lives as they cannot justly be accused of any open and gross sin after their calling They dishonour it by falling into reproachful and scandalous evils 4. They honour it by abounding in fruits of righteousness when they labour to be full of good works holy just profitable actions ever to be speaking and doing that which is agreeable to the word of grace and may honour God edesie the inward or help the outward man in themselves or others ever to be exercised in one good work or other in a word when they endeavour seriously that their practise may answer their teaching and profession They dishonour it by barrenness fruitlesness careless neglect of good works when they place religion only or principally in knowing or talking profess piety but express it not in their practise or do not constantly shew forth mercy and equity in all their actions so that the very wicked can tax them for the want of these things 5. They honour it by bridling and moderating affections manifesting Christian meekness when occasions of being provoked are offered equanimity confidence and joy in God when he takes away good things or brings evil upon them They dishonour it by suffering passions now stirred by some adverse and ingratesul occurrences to overflow the banks and break out into unseemly excess when they can keep no mean or measure in their anger are fearful above measure altogether heartless at the approaching of danger grieve immoderately for losses and crosses For worldlings seeing the children of God so impotent impatient timorous dejected think within themselves surely there is no such joy in these mens religion no such power in faith as Preachers would perswade us 6. They honour it by union and harmony of hearts and tongues when they sweetly conspire and are knit together in judgement and affection as the boards and curtains of the Sanctuary by rings and tenons minding speaking the same thing walking by the same rule They blemish it by mutual jars vvars dissentions especially in matters of Religion 7. Lastly they honour it by constancy in religion vvhen they are called to suffer great things for it holding on in the way of life when showres of persecution falling threaten to drown them willing and chearful forgoing the dearest things for the Gospel They dishonour it by spiritual cowardise and apostasie starting back from the truth because of the Cross shrinking away from the love profession practice of godliness left they should be troubled and persecuted This makes men think Religion is worth nothing for which they that know and have professed it will lose nothing this makes men say these love the world and the things of the world as well as others for they will yield to any thing rather than part with living liberty life This instruction thus confirmed and opened ferveth first to reprove many that desire to be counted and called Christians but answer not their stile Some notwithstanding all our preaching are unexpert in the word of righteousness in the art of godliness grow not in knowledge but stand at a stay like dwarfes and dwel perpetualiy upon that a. b. c. of Religion which they learned long ago Some of good age and long standing have begun to totter and turn after seducing spirits which promise to open unto them a new way that they may find rest and peace to their souls wherein they may walk without a Conscience Some for fear of worldly troubles let good causes fall to the ground But above all others this point thunders against those who by their disordered lives bring shame not only upon themselves but upon Christianity in general It s to be lamented that some by idleness in their callings pride unthriftiness undutifulness to Governours unfaithfulness in dealings slipperiness in promises rigor in standing upon and prosecuting their own right to the utmost discords and such like gross faults appearing in their lives give the wicked occasion of condemning our whole brotherhood 1 Pet. 2.17 and make Religion ashamed that ever she knew them yea blush and hide her face if they do but look at her or challenge any acquaintance with her And do we serve our Religion thus Beloved in which we hope to be saved Do we look she should comfort us plead for us lead us to heavenly glory and yet we deal with her as Judas did with Jesus that is daily deliver her up to be mocked scourged crucified pierced by the spears and arrows of ungodly mens venomous tongues Do we not fear lest if we continue to be a shame to our fathers house exposing it to infamy and obloquie in the world we be cast out at length as bastards and bond slaves lest if we be a shame to the Gospel the Author of the Gospel be ashamed of us in that great day Secondly Vse 2 all that call upon the Name of Christ and are called after his Name must hence be spurred and stirred up to answer their calling especially by an holy and unblameable life Brethren let us study every man in his place to be an ornament and credit to Religion Whatsoever things tend to the honouring of our holy profession let us think on them and do them embrace and follow after them whatsoever things we know or justly suspect will disparage and
of his Spirit To blow upon the garden of our hearts that the spices thereof may flow forth 4. Improving Song 4.16 and blowing up grace by spiritual exercises of reading singing meditation conference private communication of gifts 5. Evacuation purging out by renewed repentance such matter as might cause an oppilation of those passages in which grace should flow unto us for Christ to whom we are joyned as members if we be believers is an head full of the holy Ghost full of grace truth if we defire to receive abundantly of his fulness we must take heed the nerve of faith and pipes of Gods ordinances be not stopped or made ineffectual in us by our worldliness deadness of spirit lusts or some known corruption too indulgently handled 6. Laying our hearts low before the Lord in humiliation and humility For the low valleys because they receive most dew and rain into their bosoms are most fruitful so the humble heart the broken spirit is of all others a subject most capable of the spirit and shall be most plentifully watered with the showres of grace because the God of all grace and goodness hath promised to dwell in such a spirit Do you now see the way Walk in it that you may find rest to your souls Do you know these things Blessed are you if you do them And therefore still suffer the word of exhortation in the use of these means propound this mark to your selves To be filled with the holy Ghost with wisdom and understanding with all riches of full assurance with all might patience and long sufferance with joy and peace in believing to be full of good works of mercy and good fruits of thankfulness and Gods praiset all the day Oh spare no pains for storing up abundance of grace as David said of his children the fruit of the womb happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them so may I much more truly say of the fruits of the spirit happy is the man that hath his heart full of this treasure here only covetousness yea violence is lawful and holy Say not within your selves this is an hard doctrine and impossible What we cannot be perfect here such thoughts are prompted by Satan to make you lazie and rob you of your crown The Apostle Paul was not ignorant of this yet He forgat the things that were behind and stretched himself unto the things before yea laboured if it were possible to attain to the resurrection of the dead So that though we cannot reach an entire and compleat perfection yet we may and must grow still more and more perfect and though our attainments shall never in this life overtake and equal our desires yet as he that shoots at the noon-Sun though he be sure he shall never hit the mark is sure to shoot higher than he that aims at a bush so if we desire and aim at the highest pitch of grace vve shall be sure to outstrip our fellows and attain such a measure as shall make our profession both comfortable to our own souls exemplary to our brethren and glorious in the eyes of strangers And thus much touching this branch of Pauls prayer for though I perceive there is one point more couched in it which have not been handled yet for brevity I will refer and reserve it to be wrapt up as well it may in the conclusion of the next member which now remaineth to be opened wherein a second thing is craved by the Apostle as a necessary and more special means of making them worthy their calling The words are and the work of faith with power where consider 1. The blessing asked which is fulfilling the work of faith By work of faith may either be meant the exercise operations fruits of faith faith stirring acting labouring producing such works as are proper to her or faith as it is Gods work in man the grace or habit of faith wrought by God in our hearts I take this latter sense the difference is not great and this includes the other 2. The efficient cause of it Gods power For so I understand those last words with power that is by his own Almighty power joyning them to the word fulfil rather than to faith which worketh powerfully in believers The meaning then is as if the Apostle had said But above all other graces we make suit unto God for the perfecting of that blessed and singular work of faith which his grace hath begun in you and that by the strength of his own right hand who is omnipotent and all-sufficient The instructions to be gathered from these words follow whereof the first is this The best faith hath wants doct 1 Understand it of faith in the sons of men in this world It s plain in our text The Apostle witnesseth in his former Epistle that this people received the word with much assurance that their faith to Godward was spread abroad in other places In this very Chapter he hath given thanks to God that their faith grew exceedingly yet here he tels us they have need to be prayed for that God would perfect their faith A cloud of witnesses doth further confirm it Abrahams faith did â—imp and halt a little when he hearkned â—o the counsel of Sarah in going in to Hagar for he consented to the use of unlawful means for bringing about Gods purpose likewise when through fear he sained Sarah to be his sister weakness appeared in Sarahs faith when she laughed at the promise of a son in Jacobs vvhen tidings of Esaus coming did so affright and distress him though he had a promise of Gods presence and protection in that journey in Davids when in his haste and fear he said I am câ—st out of thy sight all men are liars when he fained himself mad in Peters when being afraid of his skin in the high Priests hall he denied his Master And no marvel for first if knowledge be imperfect in all Christians confidence cannot be perfect in any How can the heart desire or cleave unto this or that further than the mind apprehends it as true and good I cannot rest upon a man believing he will do this or that for me further than I know him The measure of faith in the will depends upon and sollows the measure of light in the understanding 〈◊〉 mean in respect of latitude not intension or in intrinsecal vigour for otherwise I know there may be great faith where there is but small knowledge as in many Martyrs A man may know more than he believes so do many wicked men in the Church but he cannot believe more than he knows Now its certain that we know but in part for neither do we apprehend the whole object of knowledge that is the whole body of divine truth my meaning is vve know not all things to be known vve are still ignorant of many things neither do we see those things which now we know so fully clearly distinctly as vve should and
Christ which gives power to merit from justice because the Apostle saith The just Judge will in the last day give a crown of Righteousness to all that love him I answer 1. Their Goliâ—h seems here to stagger for tho sometimes he maintain that good works do merit eternal life by reason of an inherent digâ—ity which he endeavours to prove by seven most silly sophismes yet elsewhere he saith We attribute not to works such merit as hath an answerable wages due unto it from Justice and again setting aside the promise of God he is not bound so to accept our works as to reward them 2. That place of the Apostle is not to be understood of Justice commutative or distributive respecting mans merit but of Gods verity or fidelity who hath promised this Crown to all that strive lawfully the faithful fulfilling of which promise is a part of his Justice For else the Apostle should manifestly contradict himself as who in other places hath taught most plainly that grace and debt grace and mans works in respect of causation of salvation can never stand together that eternal life is a free gift not wages they shall never be able to make other construction of Pauls words yea â—uch a gift of grace as is not any way from our selves all the wit in the world shall never clude so perspicuâ—us a passage 3. This will better appear if we do briefly shew that the Scriptures do not know but overthrow the doctrine of mans merit for themselves cannot deny but it s a good rule in expounding Scripture to compare one place with another First therefore the faithful Israelites did not merit the possession of the land of Canaan Deut 9.4 5 6. Psal 4â— 3 2. It s impossible man should merit by paying his debt but whatsoever we do or can do for God in this present world its debt 3. They that are but instruments doing all things by a power received from and continued by another cannot merit at his hands but such are we 4. Could we merit we might by our works make God a debtor to us but this may not be granted My goodness extendeth not to thee saith David which phrase is not to be expounded by that Thy vows are upon me O God that is have made me obliged and indebted to thee 5. If the best mans best works cannot endure the strict judgment of the Lord if the best men shall need mercy in the last day there is no place for merit But the first is true 6. We cannot deserve the least morsel of bread but must seek it at Gods hands like beggars Lastly if we must not look to have our Prayers heard and granted much less Heaven bestowed upon us for our merits But the first the Scripture teacheth Dan. 9.18 and Papists confess and therefore in one of their Missal-prayers they intreat God not to weigh their merits but to pardon their offences Secondly Let us look and trust only to this grace of God in Christ that we may find salvation renouncing and disclaiming all meriting causes of salvation in our selves and all creatures Let us never think of challenging any thing at Gods hand by desert much less the Kingdom that cannot be shaken They that put confidence in their works are like little children beginning to go by themselves who that they may stand more firmly take fast hold on their own clothes but alas they are never a whit further from falling Nay well were it if it were no worse but further they forsake their own mercy and are abolished from Christ Indeed we must labour strive run sight before we be crowned but when we have done all still we are to acknowledge our selves unprofitable servants and confess that Heaven is Gods free gift called a reward not because by our working it is deserved but because by God graciously promised Hold this fast that if Satan object thus unto thee on thy death-bed How canst thou hope for any part in the Kingdom of God who art conscious to thy self of so great sins so many haltings and imperfections thou mayest have what to answer indeed Satan it were something thou fayst and might shake me terribly if I did challenge or expect salvation for my own works my own preaching praying holiness zeal serving of God c. But I abhor my self my worthiness is none my righteousness is spotted my merit is hell 〈◊〉 depend aad rely only on the Lords mercy and Christs purchase this is my rock and portion for ever Notwithstanding this hindreth not but if Satan assault us another way we may lawfully look at Gods image graces and works in us as testimonies of our faith seals of the truth of our calling evidences that Gods grace hath not been ineffectual in us and that we are of the number of those to whom salvation is promised FINIS